The internet connection in Bangladeshi households has increased nearly eight times in a decade, according to a survey report by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
The BBS that published the report on Sunday said the proportion of households with an internet connection has risen from 4.8% in 2013 to 38.1% in 2022.
The BBS, the national statistics organisation of the country, conducted the first-ever comprehensive survey titled "Survey on Access and Use of ICT at the Household and Individual Level" in Bangladesh.
The survey reveals that 38.1% of households now have internet access at home, with rural areas accounting for 29.7% and urban areas for 63.4%. The proportion of households with a computer has also increased from 5.7% in 2013 to 8.7% in 2022, with rural areas at 3.1% and urban areas at 25.6%.
In terms of fixed-line telephone connections, only 0.8% of households in Bangladesh have them, with rural areas at 0.3% and urban areas at 2.3%. However, 62.0% of households in the country own at least one television unit, with rural households at 56.8% and urban households at 77.5%.
The survey also highlights that 7.4% of individuals aged 5 years and above use computers, while 39.9% use the internet. The usage of mobile phones is even more prevalent, with 89.9% of individuals using them.
The survey report indicates that internet usage in rural areas is significantly lower compared to urban areas. In rural areas, a higher proportion of males (36.6%) compared to females (23%) use the internet, while the figures for urban areas are 71.30% for males and 62.4% for females. Similarly, regarding computer usage, 5% of males and 2.7% of females in rural areas use computers, while the rates are 23.8% for males and 13.1% for females in urban areas.
The report says that the proportion of households with televisions has also increased, rising from 46% in 2013 to 62% in 2022.